T: Spices up front, but certaianly not over-bearing; nicely done. Clove and citrus ahead of the cranberry flavor really accentuates the tartness with crackery malt to soften. Nice balance of all the flavors. Nothing lingers beyond its welcome.

Formed a 1/2" beige head over the totally cloudy dark reddish amber brew. Head falls at a moderate pace, with ample amounts of lingering lace. Aroma is fruit and restrained spices. Taste is sweet upfront, spiced berries in the middle, with a slightly warming close. Mouthfeel is very smooth, and quite druinkable for a fruit/spiced brew.

Note that fruit/spiced brews are not my favorite style, but this one was better than most for me.

I've sampled this beer every year since it's creation and this year is by far the best. The first versions were too heavy on the holiday spices and every year it seems to become more and more balanced. The appearance from the growler pours a nice hazy red-brown body, and an off white head that laces the glass. The smell is average, relative to a xmas style beer, which are usually loaded with spice and citrus. Only the slightest hint of orange comes off the beer. The taste is excellent though. The spices and fruit are at a perfect balance with the malts and hops. this is by far my favorite holiday beer so far. The strongest flavor is of juicy orange, followed by a little bite of that holiday spice (the name eludes me right now). And the finish is quite smooth due to the balance of hops, the hops bitterness is fairly light. Mouthfeel is watery, a hint of oily. And drinkability is very good because of it balance and lack of hop bite. I would love to see this beer in the spring and summer as a fruit wheat style beer. keep the recipe as is and leave out the holiday spices. This would stand up to any of the fruity wheat beers out there now; such as shock top wheat or any leinenkugel beer is what comes to mind.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this beer. Not a big fan of clove or cranberries. And certainly not cranberries and orange rind. But hats off the folks at Cape Cod Beer. They hit this one nicely.

This poured from the growler with 2 fingers of beige head. Not much retention and later there was spotty lacing. The beer itself was a hazy reddish amber color. Kind of an interesting color. Not sure if the cranberries were lending a reddish color as well.

The aroma was real nice and consisted of orange rind, some toasted grains and a bit of spice, which must be clove. As you drank the beer you would get wafts of the fresh orange peel. This added a nice dimension to the beer.

Flavor was great. Nice sweetness up front that then moves to a cracker phase. Some nice bread tones and I assume this comes from some wheat used. (They said they always use some) After this there is a great bitterness which is a mix of orange peel, hops and the cranberry. Real bread like sense again at the finish.

Thanks to ffejherb for sharing a growler of this brewthat he received in the GAtM.

A-Deep cranberry hue with an interesting tint of dark purple. A thin off-white head diminished to a thin ring and left minimal lace.

S-Spicy clove with the sour tang of cranberries and orange. A very interesting balance from a graham craker malt sweetness. This one became more and more complex as it warmed.

T-Initial zip of spicy clove with sour citrus notes. Cranberry flvour takes hold as it warms and become very tart. This is well balanced by that sweet grham cracker malt. This is a very nice holiday brew that reminds me of a holiday cookie.

Poured via growler into goblet on 12/19/08. Procured during round 3 of Growling at the Moon BIF. Thanks corey0212!

A - Deep cranberry/royal purple coloration with a thin off-white head that was quick to diminish but flared back up with each swirl of the glass.

S - Aroma opens with clove spiciness up front, followed by some toasted grains and an interesting crackery malt that is very Saltine-esque. Cranberry presence is very subtle at first, but opens up more as the liquid warmed, offering a mild tartness to the nose.

T - Initial flavor incorporates spicy clove (akin to sweet clove cigarettes) with a very mild tobacco character and some juicy citrus notes. The cranberry character is more prominent in the flavor, and adds a bit of tartness to the mix. Finishes with some toasted graininess and a uniquely delicious crackery malt. Flavors all work quite nicely together.

M - Light to medium body with moderate carbonation. Pretty smooth mouthfeel overall. Touch of spice on the tongue. Mild tartness with just a hint of bitterness in the finish.

D - Wow! This one really grew on me over the course of the glass (well, multiple glasses). Didn't have really huge expectations based on the description, but I must say that all of the flavors worked quite well together, with the crackery malt stealing the show here. This is a great holiday brew!

From a pre-filled growler bought at the brewery. Poured into an imperial pint glass. Color was a slightly purpley brown, was fairly cloudy. Had a nice thick foamy head. Aroma was slightly fruity, akin to a dry raspberry. Taste was clean. Seemed slighty hoppy, but the berry taste was evident. Seemed a cross between grape/blackberry/raspberry Pleasant to drink, not overwhelming. Wasn't syrupy sweet in the mouth. It was a well balanced, easy to drink beer.